The automatic insertion or placement of electrical components onto a receiving medium such as a printed circuit board has been heretofore accomplished by various computer controlled machinery. This machinery has typically positioned the printed circuit board underneath an insertion device containing the electrical component that is to be inserted or otherwise placed on the receiving medium. The electrical component has been either an axial lead type of component or a chip containing a number of pins that are to be inserted into designated holes on the printed circuit board. In either case, it is extremely important to accurately register the holes of the printed circuit board for receipt of the bent leads or pins from the component that is to be inserted. It is moreover important that this registration and insertion be accomplished at an extremely fast and predictable rate.
Automatic component insertion machinery has heretofore worked on the premise that the printed circuit board had to be "in position" or accurately registered before the component insertion device could be authorized to proceed downward toward the thus positioned printed circuit board. While the downward motion of the component insertion device is extremely fast, it is nonetheless to be appreciated that the amount of time attributable to this separate and distinct movement can significantly impact the hourly insertion rate of high performance machine. It is moreover to be appreciated that the premising of component insertion on the positioning of the printed circuit board will vary to the extent that the time to position the printed circuit board varies.